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ANA Study: Marketers Unhappy With Reorganization - Ad Age

Reorganization Doesn't Do It for Marketers
ANA Survey Reveals Little Satisfaction With Company Marketing Structures

Despite widespread and growing reorganization within their marketing ranks, highlighted by trends toward centralization and integration, only 13 percent of senior marketers say they're "very satisfied" with their companies' marketing structures, according to a survey released today by the Association of National Advertisers. 

By Jack Neff

Published: March 04, 2008

BATAVIA, Ohio (AdAge.com) — Marketers apparently can't get enough of reorganization, but they aren't getting much satisfaction from it either.

The study, conducted by research firm Guideline in October 2007 through a survey of 132 marketing executives, indicates reorganization has become something of a way of life at most companies, with 29 percent of marketers undergoing reorganization and another 39 percent having done so within the past two years.

Changes don't equal results
For all that restructuring, marketers aren't overwhelmed by the results. Besides the 13% who were very satisfied with their current structures, another 47 percent were somewhat satisfied, but 18 percent were neutral and 23 percent were either somewhat or very dissatisfied. (Numbers don't add up to 100 percent because of rounding.)

Remarkably, fewer than half (48 percent) of respondents said structural changes to marketing had actually improved their companies' marketing abilities during the past two years. Another 17 percent said restructuring had worsened abilities, and 36 percent saw no change.

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General performance has improved
More than half  61 percent  said marketing's performance has improved in the past two years. And while only 21 percent of respondents said they interact with their companies at the C level, marketing executives' evaluation of their influence appears to be growing. The percentage who said marketing leads other functions grew three percentage points to 26 percent from a similar survey two years ago. And the percentage who said marketing follows or has limited interactions with other functions dropped to 8 percent from 19 percent two years ago. The rest of the respondents, in each year, said marketing participates alongside other functions.

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"Companies are clearly moving to rein in dispersed marketing organizations and tightly integrate all the marketing disciplines," Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA, said in a statement. "However, at this point, creating the optimal marketing organization is still a work in progress."